Delivery and collecting system



May 24, 1932. A. E. DAVIS DELIVERY AND COLLECTING SYSTEM Filed Feb. 7, 1928 gil Hi INVENTOR fl ww BY M I; A'ITRNEY Patented May 24, 1932 UNITED STATES A R'I'HUR E. DAVIS, OF EAST ORANGE, NEW JERSEY DELIVERY AN 1) COLLECTING SYSTEM Application filed February This invention relates to an automatic delivery and collecting system, and aims par ticularly to provide means for distributing mail or packages to diiferentfloors of a building from a main station and for collecting mail or packages from different floors and carrying them to the main station.

The invention may conveniently be embodied in an elevator, preferably one which is automatically moved up and down its shaft by any well-known elevator mechanism adapted to this purpose. The elevator is provided with a number of separate carrying elements or shelves equal to the number of floors at which mail or packages are to be distributed. Each shelf is pivoted or otherwise mounted in the elevator in such manner that it may be moved between a carrying position and a discharge position in which it is so inclined that packages and the like which have been placed upon it slide off it by gravity. Each shelf is provided with an operating mechanism in part carried by the elevator and in part fixed in the shaft of the elevator at or near the floor to which packages or the like are to be delivered by that shelf. The operating mechanism for the individual shelves is so arranged that, as the elevator moves in the direction away from the main station, each shelf is automatically moved from carrying to discharge position as it arrives at one particular floor, and that each shelf is reset in its carrying position before it reaches that floor on the return trip of the elevator. Consequently, material loaded on the individual shelves of the elevator at the main station is automatically discharged at the different floors on the out trip of the elevator, while on the return trip of the elevator each shelf is in position to receive material at its floor and to carry it back to the main station.

Illustrative embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

7,1928. Serial No. 252,660.

Fig. 1 is a vertical section showing a part of an elevator in an elevator shaft;

Fig. 2 is a partial front elevation of the elevator shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a modified form of the elevator;

ig. 4 is a sectional line H of Fig. 3; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section, similar to Fig. 1, showing a closure for the receiving opening of the shaft.

The elevator 10 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is adapted to distribute to different floors packages loaded upon it at a main station at the bottom of the elevator shaft 11. The elevator is of box-like construction with an open front and is provided with a plurality of shelves 12a, 125, etc., equal in number to the number of floors at which packages or the like are to be distributed. Each shelf is pivotally mounted in the elevator 10, for example, by means of hinges 13 connecting the back edge of the shelf with the back wall 14 of the elevator. Each shelf is movable about its hinges between a downwardly inclined delivering position in which it rests against stops 15 and an upwardly inclined carrying position in which it is held by toggles 16 which form part of the mechanism for moving the shelves.

For each shelf there is provided individual mechanism for moving it between its carrying and discharge positions. Such mechanism is in part moved with the elevator and in part mounted fixed.

The part of the mechanism for operating the shelf 12a which is moved with the elevator includes a cross-shaft 17 journaled on the bottom of the shelf and projecting through arouate slots 18 in the inner side walls of the elevator, a pair of toggles 16 having their upper members fixed on the ends of the shaft 17 and their lower members hinged to the back wall 14 of the elevator, and a contact arm 19 rigidly connected to the lower member of one toggle and projecting through an opening in the rear plan view taken on wall of the elevator. A stop 20, on the back wall of the elevator, limits the upward movement of the contact arm 19 and thus cooperates with the toggles 16 in holding the shelf in its upwardly inclined carrying position.

The part of the operating mechanism for the shelf 12a which is fixed includes an abutment 22 on the back wall of the elevator shaft and a pawl 23 on the front wall of the shaft. These parts 22 and 23 of the mechanism for operating the shelf 120; are located in the part of the elevator shaft 11 which lies between the floor served by the shelf 120. and the next floor above. Between these two floors, the front wall of the elevator shaft contains a delivery opening 24 and a receiving opening 25. The pawl 23 is located between these two openings, while the abutment '22 is substantially on a level with the bottom of the delivery opening 24. The operating mechanism for the other shelves is identical with that which has been described in connection with the shelf 12a, it being, of course, understood that the abutments and pawls-forming part of the operating mechanisms for the other shelves are located in the stories above the respective floors served by the other shelves.

In the operation of the elevator which has been described, the packages and the like to be distributed are placed in the elevator while it is at the bottom of the shaft with all its shelves in carryingposition. Apackage intended for any individual floor is placed on the shelf corresponding to that floor. On the up trip of the elevator, the arm 19 of the operating mechanism of each'shelf strikes the corresponding abutment 22 just as the shelf comes opposite the delivery opening 24 of the floor served by that shelf. This breaks the toggles 16 of that shelf, allowing the shelf to drop into its discharge position so that any package on it slides off and through the delivery opening 24. On the down movement of the elevator, the contact arm of the operating mechanism of each shelf, being contracted as shown in connection with the lower shelf shown in Fig. 1, passes the corresponding abutment 22 without contact, but before the shelf reaches the delivery opening 25 of the floor which it serves, it is engaged by the awl 23, and raised to its carry position, being held in this position by its toggles after the pawl passes out of engagement with the shelf. Consequently, as each shelf passes the receiving opening 25 of the floor which it serves, it is incarrying position and ready to receive packages through that opening to be carried back to the main station at the bottom of the shaft.

The outer ends of the contact arms 19 of the severalshelves are placed out of vertical alignment as are also the abutments 22, so that each arm can come in contact only with the particular abutment which is located at the floor at which that shelf is to be operated. The pawls 23 are also out of vertical alignment, and the front edge of each shelf contains notches permitting free passage of all the pawls except the one intended to operate that shelf.

In the modified form of elevator shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the shelves 12a, 12b, 120 are pivoted near their middles on transverse shafts 13 so that they may be tipped more easily than the hinged shelves shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This arrangement is of. special advantage if it is desired to dispense with the pawls 23 for resetting the shelves into carrying position, and to utilize the contact arms 19 on the toggles 16 both to move the shelves into discharge position and to reset them into carrying position by providing appropriate cooperating, abutments in the elevator shaft, two contact arms 19, one at each side of the elevator, being provided in the form of'elevator shown in Figs. 3 and 4.

The various forms of mechanism which may be utilized to cause the upward and downward movements of either type of'elevator are well known in the art and do not in themselves form any part of myinvention. may note, however, that when high speed mechanism is utilized to move the elevator up and down, it is desirable to incorporate in such mechanism known automatic means for slowing down or stopping the elevator as it passes the discharge openings 24 on its up trip and as-it passes the receiving openings 25 on its down trip.

It should be noted that the distribution of the packages at the different floors is entirely automatic. The collection of packages from the different floors on the down trip of'the elevator may also be made automatic by providing an inclined chute or table 26 leading to each receiving opening 25, and a closure 27 for each such opem'ng which is antomatically opened when the elevator is opposite it. In the form the closure 27 is a door hinged to swing inwardly, and normally held shut by a spring latch 28 which is momentarily released when the shelf which is to receive a package from the opening 25 comes opposite thisopening 115 by engagement of an abutment 29 on the elevator with an abutment 30 on the latch positioned in vertical alignment therewith. The unlatching of the door permits a-package which has been placed on the inclined chute 26 to swing the door inward so that the package may pass to the appropriate shelf'of the elevator. After the package has passed, the door swings back by gravity into its closed position and is again held by the I latch.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for distributing goods to, and collecting goods from, the floors of a building, comprising an elevator mounted to 1 illustrated in Fig. 0

have reciprocating upward and downward movement between the lower and upper floors served thereby, a plurality of shelves, one for serving each floor, mounted in the elevator for tilting movement between an upwardly tilted receiving position and a downwardly inclined discharge position, and an individual tilting and restoring means for each shelf for operating the shelf at the particular floor served by that shelf including a part moved with the elevator and a cooperating 2. Apparatus for distributing goods to, and collecting goods from, the floors of a building, comprising an elevator mounted to have reciprocating upward and downward movement between the lower and upper floors served thereby, a plurality of shelves, one for serving each floor, mounted in the elevator for tilting movement between a carrying position and a downwardly inclined discharge position, an individual tilting means for each shelf for operating the shelf at the particular floor served by that shelf, such means including a part moved with the elevator and a cooperating fixed part, and means for restoring the shelves to carrying position.

3. Automatic apparatus for distributing goods from a central station to different floors of a building and for collecting goods from the different floors and carrying them to the central station, comprising an elevator shaft aving a receiving opening near each floor and a delivery opening near each receiving opening, an inclined chute leading to each receiving opening, a normally closed door for each receiving opening, an open-front elevator movable in said shaft having a plurality of tiltable shelves equal in number to the number of floors at which goods are to be distributed, means for automatically moving each shelf from an inwardly inclined receiving position to an outwardly inclined discharge position when said shelf reaches one particular opening of the shaft in the out movement of the elevator and for restoring each shelf to inwardly inclined receiving position before said shelf reaches the corresponding receiving opening of the shaft on the return movement of the elevator, and automatic means for momentarily opening the door of said receiving opening when said shelf is opposite it on the return movement of the elevator.

for holding each shelf 111 a receiving posiits front edge is above its rear edge and in a discharge position in which its front edge is below its rear edge, and an individual operating means for moving each shelf from receiving to discharge position for discharging goods at a particular floor and from discharge to receiving position for reback wall, a shelf pivoted at an point on each of said shafts, means for holding each shelf in a carrying position in which its front edge is as high as its rear edge and in a discharge position in which its front edge is below its rear edge, and an individual operating means for moving each shelf from receiving to discharge position for discharging goods at a particular floor and from discharge to receiving position for receiving goods at said floor.

6. An elevator for an automatic distributing and collecting system, comprising a boxlike frame having an open front, a plurality of tiltable shelves in n elevator for an automatic distributing and collecting system, like frame having an open f of transverse shafts extending between the side walls of said frame and spaced from its back wall, a shelf pivoted on each of said shafts near the middle of the shelf, a stop lim- 7 i iting downward tipping of the front edge of each shelf, a toggle connected with each shelf, a stop cooperating with said toggle to hold each shelf in carrying position with its front edge above its rear edge, and means for breakl ing and resetting each toggle.

An elevator for an automatic distributing system, comprising a box-like frame having an open front, a plurality of shelves in said frame adapted to turn about transverse axes, a stop limiting downward tipping of the front edge of each shelf, a toggle consetting each toggle.

9. Apparatus for collecting goods from the different floors of a building and carrying them to a central station, comprising an elevator shaft having a receiving opening at each floor, a chute inclined towards each of said openings for the reception of goods, an inwardly opening door normally closing each of said openings, a latch for each door adapted to hold the door sure of goods in the corresponding chute, an

to support goods,

closed against the preselevator adapted to pass said latches on the upward movement of elevator and each lease one of said movement of the elevator to 5 in the corresponding chute to open cent door and sh shelves.

In testimony W my hand.

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engage an rethe downward allow the goods the adjade down onto one of said adapted to latches on hereof I have hereunto set ARTHUR E. DAVIS. 

